Words + Internet

How do you taco your taco?

A reasonable and thoughtful question, this is not. But this is not so dissimilar from the inane questions we see from companies on social media all the time.
You all have seen it.

TACO RESTAURANT POST, It's National Taco Day! How do you like your taco? #tacotuesday

CREDIT UNION POST, It's National Checking Account Day! How do you like your checking account? #withmoola

NURSING HOME POST, It's National Grandparents Day! How do you like your grandparents? #ilikemygrandparents

Am I supposed to reply with my preference? What do they plan to do with this information? Do I think they (or anyone) actually care? When I am feeling particularly jackassy I like to go in and reply,

Thanks for asking! I like soft corn tortillas with pork, chicken, or beef. Really any meat will do, LOL. Avocado is always a welcome addition. I will get veggie when I have been really bad earlier in the week. Here's a free tip: when they give you two tortillas take one off and use it as a landing pad for all the taco fillings that fall out, and voila, free taco! I digress, let me get back to answering your thoughtful inquiry..."

When someone from my team suggests a social media post that I feel underestimates the intended audience, I not so calmly say "How do you taco your taco? #tacotacotaco" My team thinks I am really funny.

If you are in a role where you're responsible for social media marketing, you have probably asked your audience to engage. You should. Social media is meant to be social. All I am proposing is when we ask our audience to engage, we use our noodle. Let's not default to the obvious or simply mimic what we have seen before. Let's think about what adds value, makes one chuckle, or maybe gives them pause.

In my unscientific and inaccurate assessment, 90% of company posts are uninspired, irrelevant or just entirely forgettable. Forgettable is great news for those who aren't. If social media is full of mediocrity, then there's heaps of space for opportunity.

Why on earth would you sign up for MORE emails?

Jeez, that’s a tough one. I guess you might if they were funny, thought-provoking and scarce. We send about one email a month that is intended to provoke thought and is subjectively funny. If you don’t dig it- you should unsubscribe.